Blue Springs man sentenced for killing MoDOT worker

A Jackson County judge sentenced a Blue Springs man to nine years in prison Friday for his role in the September 2012 death of state transportation worker Clifton Scott.

David C. Murdick, 36, was sentenced by Jackson County judge Jack Grate in a courtroom crowded with family, emergency responders and law enforcement.

Murdick, a lawyer who lived in Blue Springs, had pleaded guilty to first degree voluntary manslaughter on Jan. 24.

Assistant Jackson County Prosecutor Traci Stansell asked the judge to sentence Murdick to the maximum 15 years in prison. Murdick’s lawyer asked Grate for probation.

Scott, 50, was working a four-vehicle accident on Interstate 70 near the I-470 interchange shortly before 3 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2012. According to court documents, Murdick was driving his 2007 Honda Accord at a high rate of speed eastbound on I-70 when he struck Clifton, a 15-year employee of the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Murdick ignored warnings and barrelled through barriers prior to hitting Scott, who died at the scene. Murdick then slammed into a MoDOT vehicle and it burst into flames. Murdick was taken to a hospital, where he was found to have a blood-alcohol level of .184, more than twice the legal limit. Scott is survived by his 15-year-old son, a brother and sister and his fiancee Monique Banks.

“I’m glad to see justice, but hated that it took this long,” Banks told The Examiner after Murdick pleaded guilty in January.

Scott had just been honored the week before the crash for his 15 years of service with MoDOT. The crash occurred less than a month after state legislation went into effect requiring motorists to slow down and change lanes when passing a MoDOT motorist assistance vehicle or police or emergency personnel.

Scott’s MoDOT co-workers also attended the plea hearing and the sentencing hearing to show support for his family, MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Chris Redline said.

“We’re here to support Clifton’s family and remind others to never drive drunk or text behind the wheel,” Redline said in January. “We hope this case makes people think twice about drinking and driving.”